Fiber opening apparatus for mass fibers

ABSTRACT

A carding machine for bundled fibers includes a feed roll wound with the bundled fibers; a carding unit to card the bundled fibers drawn out from the feed roll with a fluid that flows in a direction that is orthogonal relative to a moving direction of the bundled fibers; and a rewind roll that rewinds a carded sheet formed by the bundled fibers that are carded in the carding unit, wherein the carding unit includes an internal frame that forms a fluid flow path and a plurality of supporting parts placed along the moving direction of the bundled fibers between a front end and a back end in the moving direction of the bundled fibers within the frame.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a machine that cards bundled fibers, whereinthe bundled fibers travel through a carding unit into which fluid flowsorthogonally relative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers andwherein a moving force is applied to the bundled fibers, a widthwisedirection of the bundled fibers being extended so the bundled fibers canbe carded into a sheet.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, many fiber-reinforced composite materials have beendeveloped in which a reinforcing material, such as carbon fibers, glassfibers, or aromatic polyamide fibers are impregnated in filament orfabric form into a matrix, like a synthetic resin.

By correctly selecting the matrix and reinforcing material, the knownfiber-reinforced materials have a wide-range of excellent propertiesthat can be utilized based on the desired objective of use with respectto mechanical strength, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, electricproperties, and weight reduction. The known fiber-reinforced materialsare widely used in such technical fields as aerospace, landtransportation, shipping, building, construction, industrial parts, andsporting goods.

There are two common uses of the reinforcing fibers. One common use iswhere the material is impregnated with the reinforcing filaments to forma matrix; while the other use is by parallel alignment of many filamentswide enough to cover the width of the matrix. In the latter use, it isdesirable to make the contact area between the matrix and reinforcingfilaments as large as possible. Therefore, many reinforcing filamentsthat are treated with an adhesive (sizing agent) are bundled whilehaving either a flat or ellipsoidal cross-section to form the bundledfibers, in which each reinforcing filament is aligned so as to minimizethe space between them, wherein a thin but wide carded sheet isobtained. Impregnation of the carded sheet in the matrix promotes thematrix being impregnated into small spaces, wherein the contact areabetween the matrix and the reinforcing filament is maximized, and thereinforcing filaments help maximize the reinforcing effects of thefibers.

Accordingly, an airflow carding machine for bundled fibers is disclosedin Japanese Patent Publication No. 3,064,019, wherein a so calledsuction wind tunnel pipe with a predetermined width is positioned toface a moving path of bundled fibers provided by a supply unit (feedroll) to a take-up section (rewind roll), and wherein the bundled fibers(for example, multifilament) are continuously suctioned in a certainoverfed condition to bend the bundled fibers into a crescent shape sothe fibers can be carded in the widthwise direction.

The airflow carding machine for the bundled fibers disclosed in JapanesePatent Publication No. 3,064,019 can effectively card the bundled fibersof very long multifilaments in parallel without causing damage.

As shown in FIG. 17, the bundled fibers 1 are drawn from a feed roll A,and then travel through a front feeder 2, which includes a drive roll 2a and a free revolving roll 2 b, into which an airflow carding unit 3cards the fibers 1 to yield a carded sheet 1 a. The carded sheet 1 a isfed through a back feeder 4 to rewind the sheet 1 a around a rewind rollB, wherein the degree of bending of the bundled fiber 1 travelingthrough a suction wind tunnel 3 a of the airflow carding unit 3 isdetected by a fiber height detection unit 5.

The fiber height detection unit 5 controls the level of bending of thebundled fibers 1 by pressing down on all of the bundled fibers 1 with awire-like fiber height sensor unit 5 a, and then detects the location ofa retaining unit 5 b tied with the fiber height sensor unit 5 a by asensor 5 c, which feeds back the detected signal to a driver motor ofthe driving roll 2 a. The number of revolutions and the amount of thebundled fibers 1 drawn out by the drive roll 2 a and free revolving roll2 b is adjusted according to the amount of bundled fibers being overtedas well as to control the amount of bending occurring to the bundledfibers.

As shown in FIG. 18, more than one airflow carding unit 3 ₁, 3 ₂, and 3₃ is aligned to form a multistage section in the moving direction of thebundled fibers since a single airflow carding unit 3 alone cannotsufficiently card the bundled fibers. In this case, as shown in FIG. 18,feed roll units 2 ₁, 2 ₂, 2 ₃, and 4 are installed before and after eachairflow carding unit 3 ₁, 3 ₂, and 3 ₃ together with the aforementionedfiber height detection units 5 ₁, 5 ₂, and 5 ₃ at each airflow cardingunit 3 ₁, 3 ₂, and 3 ₃, respectively, in order to make the cardingprocess proceed smoothly at each airflow carding unit 3 ₁, 3 ₂, and 3 ₃.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a carding machinecapable of continuously carding bundled fibers without having to detectthe level of bending of the bundled fibers in the carding unit by usingthe fiber height detection unit that feedbacks a detected signal to thedriver motor of the front feeder drive roll to control the depth ofbending as is done in the aforementioned conventional airflow cardingmachine.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a compact,lightweight, and economical carding machine, wherein uniform and highlycarded filaments are constantly produced by using one or more supportiveparts with a small diameter in the carding unit.

An additional aspect of the present invention is to simplify the supportstructure of the feed roll such that the required space for installationis reduced and a carding machine with multiple spindles or multiplespindle multistage bundled fibers is obtained.

In order to achieve the aforementioned aspects, the carding machine forbundled fibers in the present invention includes a carding unit whichcards the bundled fibers fed from a feed roll wound with the bundledfibers; by flowing fluid in a direction that is orthogonal relative tothe moving direction of the bundled fibers; by having a rewind rollrewinding the carded sheet in the carding unit; and by having one ormore supportive parts placed in a predetermined interval along themoving direction.

According to the above-described structural configuration, the directionthat the fluid flows in the carding unit can either suction the fluidflowing downward, from above to below, or flowing upward, from below toabove, so long as the fluid flows in the direction that is orthogonalrelative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers. Similarly, thesuction fluid flow direction can be such regardless as to whether thefluid flow direction is right to left or left to right.

Increasing the number of supportive parts in the carding unit reducesthe interval distance, as well as the bending of the bundled fibers,between the supportive parts, whereas increasing the diameter of thesupportive parts increases the number of supportive parts to preventbending and reducing their interval distance, leading to a decrease ofbending of the bundled fibers between the supportive parts. However,increasing the number of supportive parts or the diameter thereof tendsto excessively reduce the flow area of the fluid, along with theinterval distance, resulting in a decrease in the carding efficiency ofthe fluid. Therefore, the number, diameter, and interval distance of thesupportive parts needs to be properly set according to the kind ofbundled fibers, the diameter and number of the filaments, and the kindof a sizing agent.

The aforementioned one or more supportive parts that are installed at aparticular interval can be positioned linearly, horizontally, tilted, orin a crescent shape, according to the type of bundled fibers, thediameter and number of the reinforcing filament, and the kind of sizingagent.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine for thebundled fibers, the carding unit possesses one or more supportive partsarranged orthogonal relative to the moving direction of the bundledfibers and the carding action in the conventional wind tunnel pipeperformed by passing the bundled fibers and the carded sheet over one ormore supportive parts aligned at small intervals is done before andafter on both sides of the single supportive part, or continuously donebefore and after in small stepwise intervals for each of the more thanone supportive parts, leading to more reliable carding action and betterquality in carding.

Furthermore, the bundled fibers moving in the carding unit areconstantly carded, responding to the alignment condition of one or moresupportive parts. Therefore, the fiber height detection unit required bythe conventional machines is omitted, which leads to a smaller,lightweight, and less costly carding machine.

In the carding machine of the present invention, the carding unit alsoincludes a frame forming a flow path for the fluid and possesses both alarge diameter guiding part placed at the front and back ends of theguiding part in the moving direction of the bundled fibers and one ormore small diameter supportive parts placed between these guiding parts.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thebundled fibers are stably fed into and stably pass out from the cardingunit. Furthermore, the bundled fibers moving in the carding unit can bekept in a constant configuration that corresponds to the placement ofthe single or multiple supportive parts, leading to uniform carding andeliminates the requirement of detecting the fiber height in the cardingunit. That is, using smaller diameter supportive part makes the fluidflow path area larger, thereby improving carding action in the cardingunit.

The carding machine of the present invention also includes a guidingand/or supportive part that has a roughly cylindrical form and a fixedor revolvable form around a shaft.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, afriction force generated by the flow force of the fluid from the guidingand/or supporting parts applies a smooth carding action to the movingbundled fibers over the guiding and/or supportive parts. When theguiding and/or supportive parts are fixed, their structure becomessimple and the machine can be manufactured at low cost. When the guidingand/or supportive parts are able to revolve around the shaft, theguiding and/or supportive parts revolve around the shaft by movingbundled fibers to make movement of the bundled fibers smooth and reducethe friction between the bundled fibers and the guiding and/orsupportive parts. Furthermore, the area of friction is diffused in acircumferential direction to prolong the life of the guiding and/orsupportive parts.

The carding machine of the present invention further includes multiplesupportive parts positioned in a plane or roughly, in a crescent,against the moving direction of the bundled fibers.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thebundled fibers moving on the supportive parts can move and can be cardedconstantly, keeping a planar or crescent configuration against themoving direction according to the setup of the supportive parts, therebymaking efficient carding possible. In the case that the bundled fibersare carded in the crescent configuration, an excess mass of overfedbundled fibers can be absorbed by sinking of the fibers, so that thecontact area between the bundled fibers and fluid is increased, whereinthe carding efficiency is improved, especially when compared to the casewhere multiple supportive parts are set flat.

The carding machine of the present invention also includes placing thecarding unit in a multistage format along the moving direction of thebundled fibers.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thecarding unit is aligned in multiple stages along the moving direction ofthe bundled fibers, and carding of the bundled fibers is processed stepby step, smoothly moving the bundled fibers over the multistage cardingunit from an upstream end to a downstream end. In this case, the frontfeeder upstream of each carding unit is also not required, whichsimplifies, miniaturizes, lightens, and minimizes cost and shortens thetotal length of the carding machine.

The carding machine of the present invention may further includeincreasing stepwise, or continuously, the width of the moving path ofthe bundled fibers.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thewidth of the flow path for the bundled fibers in the multistage cardingunit is more orderly, stepwise or continuously, from the upstream end tothe downstream end, and carding of the bundled fibers is progressed toadjust for this widening, as the bundled fibers move from the upstreamend to the downstream end, to pass the carding unit in each stage,smoothly yielding a carded sheet.

The carding machine of the present invention further places the shaft ofthe feed roll in a vertical direction. Here, “vertical direction”includes not only a geometrically perpendicular arrangement, but also atilted arrangement at a certain angle relative to the perpendicular.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thesupply position of the bundled fibers relative to the guide roll at theentrance of the carding action section sways less compared to theconventional machine, which arranges the shaft of the feed rollhorizontally. Furthermore, the degree of swaying of the bundled fibersis absorbed along the circumference of the guide roll so that the feedroll is not required to traverse the shaft direction, the structure ofthe supporting action section can be simplified, and the required spacefor installation of the feed roll is reduced.

The carding machine of the present invention includes a plurality offeed rolls.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, morethan one set of bundled fibers can be fed from each feed roll so as tobe carded at the carding unit, thereby yielding a wide carded sheet.Furthermore, as each shaft of multiple feed rolls is positionedvertically, more than one feed roll can be placed close to each other toachieve a multiple spindle carding machine.

The carding machine of the present invention includes a plurality ofcarding units positioned in parallel and orthogonal relative to themoving direction of the bundled fibers.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine,aligning a plurality of carding units in parallel, but orthogonalrelative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers, more than oneset of bundled fibers from the multiple feed rolls can travel over morethan one carding unit to simultaneously card so as to give a multiplespindle sequential carding machine that produces a wider carded sheet.

The carding machine of the present invention consolidates the cardingunit into a single carding form that shares a part of the componentpart, wherein the carding unit is placed in a multistage format alongthe moving direction of the aforementioned bundled fibers, and/or morethan one carding unit is positioned in parallel but orthogonal relativeto the moving direction of the bundled fibers.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, themultistage carding unit is placed in the moving direction of the bundledfibers, and/or more than one carding unit is positioned in parallel butorthogonal relative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers toconsolidate into a sequentially integrated form, sharing at least a partof the component materials for the fluid flow path, spacer, and guidingpart. As such, not only is a wide carded sheet obtained, but also thenumber of component parts is reduced to save on material costs whencompared to the alignment of more than one carding unit in series or inparallel. Furthermore, the length and/or width in the sequentiallyintegrated carding unit is reduced to achieve miniaturization, weightreduction, and cost saving of the carding machine.

The carding machine of the present invention includes a fluid pathfilled with a heated fluid.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, asizing agent sticking to the bundled fibers is heated to melt in thecarding unit that is heated by a fluid to weaken the bonding forcebetween the reinforced fibers forming the bundled fibers, therebyimproving the carding efficiency of the bundled fibers.

The carding machine of the present invention includes heating theguiding and/or supportive parts.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thebundled fibers are heated by heating the guiding and/or supportive partsin the carding unit, and the sizing agent sticking to the bundled fibersis heated to melt and weaken the bonding force between the reinforcedfibers forming the bundled fibers, thereby improving the cardingefficiency of the bundled fibers.

The carding machine of the present invention includes providing theguiding and/or supportive parts with a built-in heater.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thebundled fibers are heated by the guiding parts and/or supportive partswith a built-in heater, and the sizing agent sticking to the bundledfibers is heated to melt and weaken the bonding force between thereinforced fibers forming the bundled fibers, thereby improving thecarding efficiency of the bundled fibers.

The carding machine of the present invention includes having theaforementioned guiding and/or supportive parts in a pipe shape, in whichheated fluid is circulated.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thebundled fibers are heated by the guiding and/or supportive parts whichin turn has been heated by a heated fluid, and the sizing agent stickingto the reinforced fibers forming the bundled fibers is heated, meltingand weakening the bonding force, thereby improving the cardingefficiency of the bundled fibers.

The carding machine of the present invention includes a slit in theaforementioned pipe shaped guiding and/or supportive parts that crossesin the moving direction of the bundled fibers, wherein the heated fluidis ejected from the slit.

According to the aforementioned structure of the carding machine, thebundled fibers are heated by the heated fluid ejected from the slits ofthe pipe shaped guiding parts and/or supportive parts, and the sizingagent sticking to the bundled fibers is heated, melting and weakeningthe bonding force between the reinforced fibers forming the bundledfibers, drastically improving the carding efficiency of the bundledfibers via the carding action of the heated fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the airflow carding machine for a singlespindle bundled fiber according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the supply unit of the machine shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged planar view of the multistage airflow carding unitaccording to the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 (A) is a front sectional view of the first stage airflow cardingunit of the multistage airflow carding unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 (B) is a side view of the first stage airflow carding unit of themultistage airflow carding unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 (C) is a side view of the second stage airflow carding unit ofthe multistage airflow carding unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 (D) is a side view of the third stage airflow carding unit of themultistage airflow carding unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 (A) is a schematic diagram of the components in an airflowcarding machine for multiple spindle bundled fibers according to asecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 (B) is a schematic diagram of the components for the machineshown in FIG. 5 (A);

FIG. 6 (A) is an enlarged planar view of a sequentially integratedairflow carding unit in the airflow carding machine shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 (B) is an enlarged frontal view of the sequentially integratedairflow carding unit shown in FIG. 6 (A);

FIG. 6 (C) is an enlarged frontal view of key components shown in FIG. 6(B);

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a multistage airflow carding machinefor a double decked form of the multiple spindle bundled fibersaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of an airflow carding unit according toa fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an airflow carding machine according toa fifth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the airflow cardingunit shown in FIG. 8 is used;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a front feeder in the airflow cardingmachine shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a fiber height detection unit in theairflow carding machine shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 (A) is a schematic diagram of a carding machine for the multiplespindle bundled fibers according to a sixth embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 (B) is a schematic diagram of a carding machine for the multiplespindle bundled fibers shown in FIG. 12 (A);

FIG. 13 (A) is a side view of an upstream feed roll in a stationarystate of the bundled fibers in the airflow carding machine for themultiple spindle bundled fibers shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 13 (B) is an enlarged frontal view of the feed roll shown in FIG.13 (A);

FIG. 13 (C) is an enlarged diagram of the feed roll, in the fed state,shown in FIG. 13 (A);

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a carding machine for a double deckedform of the multistage multiple spindle bundled fibers according to aseventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 (A) is an exploded perspective view of a support structure of asupportive part of a carding machine for the multiple spindle bundledfibers according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 (B) is a vertical sectional view of the support structure of thesupportive parts in the carding machine for the multiple spindle bundledfibers shown in FIG. 15 (A);

FIG. 16 (A) is a schematic diagram of the airflow carding unit havingheated gas;

FIG. 16 (B) is an enlarged sectional view of a pipe shaped guidingand/or supportive parts equipped with a built-in heater;

FIG. 16 (C) is an enlarged sectional view wherein the guiding and/orsupportive parts are pipe-shaped and circulate heated fluid through theinside of hollow pipe;

FIG. 16 (D) is an enlarged sectional view wherein the guiding and/orsupportive parts have a pipe shape and slits that cross the cardedsheet, and wherein heated gas is circulated inside the hollow pipe;

FIG. 17 is a schematic frontal view of a conventional airflow cardingmachine;

FIG. 18 is a schematic frontal view of a conventional airflow cardingmachine for multistage bundled fibers;

FIG. 19 (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating one of the problems inthe conventional machine shown in FIG. 18; and

FIG. 19 (B) is a schematic planar view of the feed unit shown in FIG. 19(A).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments according to the present invention are describedbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 shows a frontal view of the airflow carding machine for a singlespindled bundled fiber according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. In FIG. 1, a unit 10 is the bundled fiber feeding unit(filament feeding unit). As shown in the planar view of the key parts inFIG. 2, a feed roll 13, around which bundled fibers 12 composed of alarge number of reinforced filaments, such as carbon fibers, bonded by asizing agent are wound, is supported on a table 11 positioning a shaftof the feed roll 13 in a vertical direction and freely rotating aroundthe shaft. A guide roll 14, which changes the moving direction of thebundled fibers 12 fed from the feed roll 13, by approximately 90 degreesin a planar view, and a shaft of the guide roll 14 is fixed verticallyfor the guide roll 14 to freely rotate around the shaft. A guide roll 15which sends the bundled fibers 12 that are sent from the guide roll 14to an airflow carding action unit 20 at a certain height, is fixed orfreely rotating, as will be described later.

The feed roll 13 is equipped with an adjustable tension applying means16, which applies tension to the bundled fibers 12, optimizing thetension applied to the bundled fibers 12 according to the properties andsize of the reinforced filaments to form the bundled fibers 12 and thekind of the sizing agents used.

An airflow carding action unit 20 includes a plurality of guide rolls 21and 22, a multistage airflow carding unit 25 that has more than oneairflow carding unit (in the example drawing, three units of airflowcarding units 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c) aligned in series in the movingdirection of the bundled fibers 12, and a rewind roll unit 28 thatrewinds the carded sheet 12 a, which is then carded in the multistageairflow carding unit 25.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4 (A) to 4 (D), the multistage cardingaction unit 25 includes a multistage alignment of airflow carding units25 a, 25 b, and 25 c, in series, from an upstream end to a downstreamend. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4 (A) to 4 (D), a width of a movingpath w1, w2, and w3 for the bundled fibers 12 in each airflow cardingunit 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c becomes broader as the path moves downstreamin the moving direction of the bundled fibers (w1<w2<w3). Except forwidth, as will be described later, each airflow carding unit 25 a, 25 b,and 25 c has a very similar structure.

Therefore, the exemplary airflow carding unit 25 a will be referencedherein to describe aspects of the invention. For example, the airflowcarding unit 25 a has an airflow wind tunnel, such as a hollowrectangular wind tunnel 250, that forms a suction wind tunnel thatsuctions air from a lower side. The airflow carding unit 25 a alsoincludes large diameter guiding parts 252 and 253, which extend tosideboards 251 on both ends and are placed before and after the movingdirection of the bundled fibers 12. The sideboards 251 are horizontaland orthogonal relative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers12. The airflow carding unit 25 a also includes more than one smalldiameter supportive part 254 placed at a certain interval between theguiding parts 252 and 253, in the same plane and horizontally relativethereto.

Guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or supportive part 254 can be fixed onsideboards 251 and 251 of the wind tunnel 250, or can be free to revolvearound a shaft. If the guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or supportive part254 are fixed to sideboards 251 and 251, the support structure issimplified, thereby cutting production cost. If the guiding parts 252and 253 and/or supportive part 254 are able to freely rotate, as issometimes desirable, depending on the property and size of thereinforced filament forming bundled fibers 12 and the kind of sizingagent, the moving and carding of bundled fibers 12 become smoother,reducing wear by friction with the bundled fibers 12 and preventinguneven wearing by constantly changing the friction location relative tothe circumference direction.

Inside of each of sideboard 251 and 251, the guiding parts 256 and 256regulate the crosswise movement of the bundled fibers 12 and arepositioned by flexible spacer parts 255 a, 255 b, and 255 c that areslightly higher than the guiding parts 252 and 253 to control thevertical positioning of the bundled fibers 12. Increasing the height ofthe guiding parts 256 and 256 provides the airflow in the airflowcarding unit with a stable laminar flow and stabilizes the cardingaction of the bundled fibers 12. However, increasing the height beyond acertain level does not result in greater stabilization of the cardingaction by the stabilization of airflow. Rather, increasing the heighttoo much gives rise to larger size and higher cost of the machine.Therefore, the height of the guiding parts 256 and 256 is to bedetermined according to the properties and size of the reinforcedfilament in the bundled fibers 12 and the kind of the sizing agent used.

The sideboards 251 and 251, spacer parts 255 a, 255 b, and 255 c, andguiding parts 256 and 256 in the aforementioned airflow carding units 25a, 25 b, and 25 c are connected by bolts 257 and 257 so as to be easilydissembled. A screw hole 258, so as to fix the guiding parts, is drilledinto sideboards 251 and 251 in each airflow carding units 25 a, 25 b,and 25 c, such as to match the end of the moving direction of thebundled fibers.

Thickness t1, t2, and t3 of each spacer 255 a, 255 b, and 255 c in theairflow carding units 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c, are placed along the movingdirection of the bundled fibers 12 in descending order t1>t2>t3. Namely,the thickness decreases in the moving downstream, such as where thewidth of moving path, w1, w2, and w3 for bundled fibers 12 formedbetween the guiding parts 256 and 256, are in the order of w1<w2<w3,where the width increases moving in the downstream direction. Thisconfiguration makes the width of the carded sheet 12 a adjustable withthe progress of the carding of the bundled fibers 12. Spacers 255 a, 255b, and 255 c, and guiding parts 256 and 256, are consolidated by bolts257 and 257 to the sideboards 251 and 251 in order to allow for thesharing of components, except for the spacers, in the airflow cardingunits 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c, giving added flexibility in the assembly anddisassembly of the parts by exchanging the spacers 255 a, 255 b, and 255c with different thicknesses, t1, t2, and t3.

The carding action in the aforementioned airflow carding machine for thesingle spindled bundled fibers is described next. The bundled fibers 12are drawn out from the feed roll 13 to change the moving direction byapproximately 90 degrees within a horizontal plane by a guide roll 14and is kept at a certain height by a guide roll 15 to draw out to theairflow carding action unit 20.

The bundled fibers 12 traveling through the guide rolls 21 and 22 thathave a tape shaped or elliptical cross-section are drawn out in themoving direction to be carded at the airflow carding unit 25, formingthe carded sheet 12 a. The sheet 12 a is composed of crosswise lining ofeach reinforced filaments, which are then rewound around a rewindingroll unit 28.

As bundled fibers 12 are drawn out from the feed roll 13, which isstacked in a vertical direction, the drawn out height of the bundledfibers 12 can be moved up and down. However, the bundled fibers 12 thatare drawn out change their direction by approximately 90 degrees inplanar view by a guide roll 14 that is stacked vertically, and arepressed from above and below by a guide roll 15 that is placedhorizontally. Therefore, the bundled fibers 12 only pitch slightly atthe entrance of guide roll 15. Furthermore, since the shaft of guideroll 15 is placed horizontally, the bundled fibers 12 are guided alongthe circumference of the guide roll 15. When compared to theconventional machine in which the shaft of both the feed roll A and theguide roll 2 is placed horizontally, as shown in FIGS. 19 (A) and 19(B), swaying of the feed position for the bundled fibers 12 that are fedthrough guide roll 15 is extremely low. This leads to stabilization ofthe supply position in the bundled fibers 12 towards the airflow cardingaction unit 20. As in the conventional machine, the feed roll is notrequired to traverse towards the shaft direction and the required spacefor the installation of feed roll 13 is reduced.

Since a proper load level is applied to the feed roll 13 by the tensionapplying means 16, a proper level of tension is applied to the bundledfibers 12 drawn out from the feed roll 13. Both the tension by thetension applying means 16 at the feed roll 13 and the rewinding tensionby the rewind roll unit 28 constantly apply proper tension to thebundled fibers 12 and the carded sheet 12 a.

Since each airflow carding unit 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c in the multistageairflow carding unit 25 is equipped with guiding parts 252 and 253, andmore than one supportive part 254 that is placed horizontally in aplane, a downward airflow in the suction wind tunnel keeps the bundledfibers 12 in contact with the planar and horizontal supporting part 254so as to constantly maintain the bundled fibers 12 in a horizontalplane. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the fiber height detection units51, 52, and 53 are not required in the airflow carding units 25 a, 25 b,and 25 c. Therefore, as in the conventional case, a detection signal isnot required to feedback to the driver motor of the drive roll for frontfeeders 21, 22, and 23. The upstream front feeder and driver motor ineach airflow carding unit 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c can be omitted todrastically reduce the number of machine parts, shortening the totallength of airflow carding action unit 20, and possibly achievingminiaturization, weight reduction, and lowering the cost of the airflowcarding machine.

As described above, the fiber height of the bundled fibers 12 and cardedsheet 12 a are kept in a horizontal plane by guide parts 252 and 253,and more than one supporting part 254, in each airflow carding unit 25a, 25 b, and 25 c. Further, the bundled fibers 12 are smoothly carded inthe airflow carding units 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c by adjusting the tensionapplying means 16 of the feed roll 13 and the number of revolutions ofthe driver motor for the rewind roll unit 28. Adjusting the tension to aconstant level in rewinding of the carded sheet 12 a to the rewind rollunit 28 eliminates pitching of the rewound carded sheet 12 a to yield aroll of high quality carded sheet 12 a.

According to the carding machine for the single spindle multistagebundled fibers described above, the carding action, wherein the bundledfibers 12 or carded sheet 12 a travel over each airflow carding unit 25a, 25 b, and 25 c, and pass over more than one supportive parts 254, isperformed at small intervals, stepwise, and continuously when comparedto the carding action by a conventional wind tunnel, leading to morereliable carding and an improvement in the quality of the cardedproduct.

Since the bundled fibers 12 or carded sheet 12 a travels over eachairflow carding unit 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c and is kept horizontal by morethan one supportive part 254, it is not required to install a fiberheight detection unit, in which a front feeder is installed upstream ofeach airflow carding unit, 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c to detect the fiberheight of the bundled fibers 12 or carded sheet 12 a that travels overeach airflow carding unit, 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c and feedbacks thedetected signal to a driver motor of the upstream front feeder. Alongwith the elimination in the need of the front feeder and its driverunit, it is also not necessary to have a processing and controlling unitfor the detected signal. This not only simplifies its structure andreduces cost, but also eliminates the required space for installation,reducing its size, weight, and cost of the airflow carding machine forthe bundled fibers. The beneficial effects become more obvious as thenumber of stage installed of the airflow carding units 25 a, 25 b, 25 c,etc., for the multistage airflow carding unit 25 is increased.

If a wider carded sheet 12 a is required, a plurality of feed rolls 13placed in parallel may be used for the sheet. However, in the case wherea shaft of the feed roll A is placed horizontally in the conventionalairflow carding machine, as shown in FIG. 17 or FIG. 19, it is necessaryto traverse the feed roll in the shaft direction orthogonal to its drawnout direction along with drawing out bundled fibers 12, resulting in alarger installation space per unit of feed roll being required. Asmentioned previously, it is practically difficult to obtain the airflowcarding machine with many feed rolls in parallel for the multiplespindle bundled fibers.

Second Embodiment

FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B) are schematic diagrams of the airflow cardingmachine for the multiple spindle bundled fibers, wherein use of aplurality of feed rolls makes production of a wider carded sheetpossible. In FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the supply unit 10′ of the bundledfibers (filament supply unit), wherein a plurality of feed rolls 13 areplaced in the form of a matrix with each shaft being vertical. As aguide roll 14′, two guide rolls 14 a and 14 b at the first stage and thesecond stage are installed according to the position of each feed roll13 to differentially vary the angle of directional change by guide rolls14 a and 14 b, such as to respond to the position of the feed roll 13and 50 on, adjusting each bundled fiber 12 that is drawn out from thesecond stage guide roll 14 b to move in parallel and horizontally. Theguide roll 15′ is relatively long in order to guide the plurality ofbundled fibers 12.

As shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the multistage carding unit comprisesa plurality of stage carding units 25 a′, 25 b′, and 25 c′ arranged inseries along the moving direction of the bundled fibers 12, as well asin parallel in a form of many units, orthogonal relative to the movingdirection of bundled fibers 12 to form a sequentially integrated airflowcarding machine 25′. The sequentially integrated airflow carding machine25′ is equipped with long common guiding parts 252′ and 253′; two commonspace filling guiding parts 259 a and 259 b placed at a certain intervalbetween common guiding parts 252′ and 253′; multiple long supportingparts 254 a, 254′, and 254′ that are horizontally placed at certainintervals, respectively, between common guiding parts 252′ in theaforementioned front end and space filling guiding part 259 a, betweencommon space filling guiding parts 259 a and 259 b, and between commonspace filling guiding part 259 b and common guiding part 253′ in theback end more than one common guiding part 256 a across three stageairflow carding units 25 a′, 25 b′, and 25 c′; and dividing board 260that separates the suction wind tunnel for airflow carding units 25 a′,25 b′, and 25 c′, at each stage. Common guiding parts 252′ and 253′,space filling common guiding parts 259 a and 259 b, and supportive parts254 a, 254′, and 254′ can be fixed to sideboards 251 and 251′, orallowed to freely rotate, for the same reason described previously.

Supportive parts 254′ and 254′ that are placed between the space fillingcommon guiding parts 259 a and 259 b, and between the space fillingcommon guiding part 259 b and the common guiding part 253′, are small indiameter, as depicted in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. However, the supporting part254 a that is placed between the common guiding part 252′ and the spacefilling common guiding part 259 a is larger in diameter than thesupporting part 254′. This configuration emphasizes an increase incarding efficiency by using a smaller diameter supportive part 254′ inthe first stage airflow carding unit 25 a′ and the second stage airflowcarding unit 25 b, which increases the airflow area in the wind tunneland eases the suction airflow through the bundled fibers 12, as well asbetween each reinforced filament of the carded sheet 12 a that travelsthrough the suction wind tunnel. In addition, because carding in thethird stage airflow carding unit 25 c′ is fairly progressed, it mainlyretains the carded sheet 12 a in a horizontal position rather thanincreasing the carding effect.

As shown in FIG. 6 (C), the supportive part 254 a in the third stageairflow carding unit 25 c′ is positioned in semicircular grooves 251 aand 251 a defined at the upper ends of sideboards 251′ and 251′. Sincethe supportive part 254 a protrudes above the tops of the sideboards251′ and 251′, the carded sheet 12 a that travels over the sideboard251, 251′, receives the carding action over the continuous wind tunneltube without the dividing board, making the adjacent carded sheets aligntightly, without a void between them, yielding a continuously alignedcarded sheet.

Each common guiding part 256 a along the moving direction of the bundledfibers 12 is set up with thickness t1, t2, and t3 for the first stageairflow carding unit 25 a′, the second stage carding airflow unit 25 b′,and the third stage airflow carding unit 25 c′, respectively, such ast1>t2=t3. Therefore, width w1, w2, and w3 between each common guidingpart 256 a and 256 a of the moving path of the bundled fibers 12 andcarded sheet 12 a has a setup of w1<w2=w3.

In the above described carding machine for the multiple spindle bundledfibers, bundled fibers 12 are drawn out from a plurality of feed rolls13 and so on, changing its direction by each guide roll 14′ (14 a and 14b), passing through guide roll 15′ to be continuously carded at thefirst, second, and third airflow carding units 25 a′, 25 b′, and 25 c′in the sequentially integrated airflow carding unit 25′ and rewoundaround rewind roll unit 281′ of the rewind roll unit 28′.

Therefore, the airflow carding machine for the multiple spindle bundledfibers, which was previously difficult to obtain, can now beaccomplished. More specifically, the sequentially integrated airflowcarding unit 25′ has neither multistage alignment of the first stage,second stage, and third stage airflow carding units 25 a′, 25 b′, and 25c′ in series, as depicted in FIG. 3, nor is the alignment of eachairflow carding unit in parallel in the widthwise direction. Rather, itcommonly shares the space filling common guiding parts 259 a and 259 band the common guiding part 256 a to construct the sequentiallyintegrated structure, resulting in the simplification of thecomposition, miniaturization, weight reduction, and control of costincreases, in comparison to one with a comparable number of thesequential units in series or in parallel.

Even when the supportive parts 254′ and 254 a are placed horizontally,the bundled fibers 12 travel over more than one supporting part 254′ and254 a placed in a small interval, applying the carding action in theconventional wind tunnel pipe stepwise at short intervals andcontinuously, to make carding reliable and improve the carding quality.In comparison to the case where the airflow direction is using acrescent alignment, the height of the single sequential airflow cardingunit 25′ is reduced.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the airflow carding machine for themultiple spindle bundled fibers, wherein multiple airflow cardingmachines for the multiple bundled fibers are placed in a double deckedalignment at certain intervals to eliminate operational shutdown duringthe exchange of feed rolls 13 a, 13 b, etc.

Namely, as the bundled fibers 12 on feed roll 13 a runs out, the emptyfeed roll 13 a is detached and a new feed roll 13 a has to be put in itsplace, but the carding machine has to be stopped during this exchange offeed roll 13 a. Since the airflow carding machine for the multiplespindle bundled fibers is equipped with many feed rolls 13 a, the timerequired for the exchange of feed roll 13 a becomes longer and theduration of machine stoppage also becomes longer. Then, in the airflowcarding machine for the multiple spindle bundled fibers in FIG. 7, morethan one feed unit for the bundled fibers, 10′a, . . . , 10′n, and morethan one airflow carding action unit, 20 a′, . . . , 20′n, and more thanone rewind roll unit, 28′a, . . . , 28′n are placed in a multistagearrangement in double decked form at certain intervals.

Therefore, while bundled fibers 12 are carded by feeding the upper feedunit of the bundled fibers (filament feed unit) 10′a and in the upperairflow carding action unit 20′a, the bundled fibers 12 are also put onthe lower feed unit of the bundled fibers (filament feed unit), 10′b, .. . , 10′n and in the airflow carding action unit, 20′b, . . . , 20′n.Immediately after the carding process by the upper feed unit of thebundled fibers 10′a and the upper airflow carding action unit 20′a iscompleted, carding of the bundled fibers 12 is initiated in the lowerfeed unit of the bundled fibers (filament feed section) 10′b and thelower airflow carding action unit 20′b. When the bundled fibers 12 arecarded in the lower feed unit of the bundled fibers (filament feed unit)10′b, and the lower airflow carding action unit 20′b, the bundled fibers12 are put on the upper feed unit of the bundled fibers (filament supplyunit) 10′a and the airflow carding action unit 20′a. Hence, the bundledfibers 12 are continuously carded.

As the number of upper and lower stages has more surplus, the bundledfibers 12 can be simultaneously carded on more than one feed unit of thebundled fibers (filament feed unit) 10′ and the airflow carding actionunits 20′. It is also possible that both an upper stage and a lowerstage setup are set in combination and alternately operated, to cardbundled fibers in every other spindle and rewind around a rewind rollthe carded reinforcing filaments that are carded in every other spindle,without a void existing between them, continuously producing a cardedsheet.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, an example wherein the bundled fibers12 and the carded sheet 12 a travel horizontally from the left end ofthe figure to rewind around the rewind roll unit 28 at a right end, isdescribed. It is also possible that at least the airflow carding units25′a and 25′b are vertically placed such that the bundled fibers 12travel from top to bottom in one unit, then travel from bottom to top inanother, changing the moving direction of the bundled sheets 12 a and 12b sent from the upper and lower airflow carding units 25′a and 25′b by90 degrees. By changing the direction of roll so that it travelshorizontally, a pair of carded sheets 12 a and 12 b in parallel can bealigned to yield a single wide carded sheet. Alternatively, eachreinforcing filament for the carded sheet 12 a and that of the cardedsheet 12 b are alternately placed in the odd and even number positions,respectively, to produce a wide carded sheet.

Fourth Embodiment

In the above discussed embodiment, the case, wherein more than onesupportive part 254, 254′, and 254 a in the airflow carding units 25, 25a, 25 b, 25 c, 25′a, 25′b, and 25′c are placed in a plane and arrangedhorizontally along the moving direction of the bundled fibers 12 andcarded sheet 12 a, is described. However, as shown in FIG. 8, multiplesupporting parts 254 can be placed in a convex crescent form against theairflow direction. The airflow carding unit with convex placement of thesupportive unit can be a single carding machine for the bundled fibers,as shown in FIG. 1, a multistage airflow carding machine, as shown inFIG. 3, a multistage multiple sequential airflow carding machine, asshown in FIG. 5, or a double decked multistage carding machine for themultiple spindled bundled fibers, as shown in FIG. 7. In these cases, itis possible that the tension of the feed roll 13 and the rewind tensioncan properly be adjusted by the tension applying means 16 and the rewindroll unit 28, respectively, transforming the bundled fibers 12 andcarded sheet 12 a into a convex crescent form along multiple supportiveparts that are placed in a crescent form. As in the case where more thanone supportive part is placed horizontally, the fiber height detectionunit, the upstream feed roll, and the downstream feed roll is notnecessary and omitted.

Fifth Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to place more than one supportivepart 254 in a crescent form, where if necessary, an upstream feed rollunit 23 can be placed downstream of the guide rolls 21 and 22, as shownin FIG. 9. Downstream of the feed roll unit 23, namely upstream of theairflow carding unit 25, the fiber height detection unit 24 can beplaced, or downstream of the fiber carding unit 25, the downstream feedroll unit 26 and the fiber height detection unit 27 can be placed.

Since the upstream feed roll unit 23 and the downstream feed roll unit27 have the same composition, the upstream feed roll unit 23 will bedescribed as an example. As shown in FIG. 10, the feed roll unit iscomprised of the drive roll 231, freely revolving rolls 232 and 233,guide rolls 234 and 235, retaining part 236, and air cylinder 237. Thedrive roll 231 is driven by a driver motor, which cooperates with thefreely rotating rolls 232 and 233 to draw out the bundled fibers 12.Guide rolls 234 and 235 feed the bundled fibers 12 from a certaindirection to the space between the drive roll 231 and the freelyrotating rolls 232 and 233. Retaining part 236 holds the freely rotatingrolls 232 and 233 and air cylinder 237 as an actuator to raise or lowerthe retaining part 236, and raising and lowering of the holding part bythe piston rod 238 of the air cylinder 237 applies a required load tothe freely rotating rolls 232 and 233 against the drive roll 231 to sendthe bundled fibers 12 downstream.

Fiber height detection units 24 and 27 have the same structuralconfiguration and the fiber height detection unit 24 will be describedherein as an example. As shown in FIG. 11, the fiber height detectionunit 24 is equipped with a pair of fixed or freely rotating guide rolls241 and 242 that are placed before and after the moving direction of thebundled fibers 12 at a certain interval to move the bundled fibers 12over the guide rolls 241 and 242. Then, the bundled fibers 12 that havebeen sent by the feed roll unit 23 under an overfed condition, is bentinto a crescent form by the airflow between guide rolls 241 and 242,where the level of the bending of the bundled fibers is detected by aphotoelectric or displacement sensor 243.

While the carding machine for single bundled fibers shown in FIG. 9,mentioned above, performs essentially the same carding action as thecarding machine for the single bundled fibers depicted in FIG. 1,functional differences in the installation of the upstream feed rollunit 23, the fiber height detection unit 24, the downstream feed rollunit 26, and the fiber height detection unit 27 will now be described.The mass that is fed by the upstream feed roll unit 23 is set slightlylarger than that by the downstream feed roll unit 26, leading to anoverfed condition. Therefore, the bundled fibers 12 can be bent as muchas the overfed mass in the fiber height detection unit 24 and themultistage carding machine unit 25. The bent condition in the fiberheight detection units 24 and 27 can be stabilized by the action of thesuction system or through lightweight superposition.

The fiber height detected by the fiber height detection unit 24 is sentto the drive roll 231 of the feed roll unit 23, as shown in FIG. 10,wherein starting or stopping the drive motor allows for the adjustmentof the mass of the fed bundled fibers 12, optimizing the overfed mass toa proper amount.

The fiber height of the carded sheet 12 a that is detected by the fiberheight detection unit 27 is sent to the driver motor of the rewind rollunit 28 to adjust the rewind tension of the carded sheet 12 a by rewindroll unit 28 to be constant. This eliminates pitching of the cardedsheet 12 a that is rewound to yield a roll of high quality carded sheet12 a.

Sixth Embodiment

As shown in FIGS. 12 (A) and 12 (B), the carding machine for themultiple spindle bundled fibers can have an upstream feed roll unit 23′,a fiber height detection unit 24′, and a downstream feed roll unit 26′.

As shown in FIG. 13 (A), the upstream feed roll unit 23′ includes arelatively long common drive roll 231′, a plurality of separate, freelyrotating rolls 232 for each bundled fibers 12, and a plurality ofseparate air cylinders 237 separate, freely rotating rolls 232. When theoverfed amount of the bundled fibers 12 is substantial, as shown inFIGS. 13 (A) and 13 (B), each separate freely rotating roll 232 israised by each separate air cylinder 237 to temporarily stop the feedingof the bundled fibers 12. As the amount of overfed mass becomes a propervalue, as shown in FIG. 13 (C), each separate air cylinder 237 pushesdown each separate freely rotating roll 232 in cooperation with thedrive roll 231′ to independently draw out the bundled fibers 12.

Seventh Embodiment

As shown in FIG. 14, the double decked multistage carding machine forthe multiple spindle bundled fibers can be equipped with an upstreamfeed roll unit 23′a and the fiber height detection unit 24′a to replacethe guide roll 15 or be used in conjunction with the guide roll 15.

FIGS. 15 (A) and 15 (B) show embodiments of a supportive part in thecarding machine for the multiple spindle bundled fibers in accordancewith the present invention. As described in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 6,a structure of a plurality of supportive parts 254 and 254′ in theairflow carding units 25 and 25′ has a drilled hole through thesideboard 251, spacer 255, and guide part 256. Support parts 254 and254′ are inserted into the hole. However, it is complicated to insertmany small diameter supporting parts 254 and 254′ into many smalldiameter drilled holes.

Then, in the airflow carding unit 25″ in the embodiment shown in FIGS.15 (A) and 15 (B), the top of the sideboard 251 is cut to form aplurality of slits 251 b having a certain depth and the supporting part254 is inserted into the slit 251 b. In the support structure in whichthe supporting part 254 is inserted into the slit 251 b, assembly of thesupporting part 254 with the sideboard 251 is much easier and can becompleted within a short time of period as compared to insertion of thesupportive part 254 into the drilled hole.

In the support structure where the supportive part 254 is inserted intothe slit 251 b, as shown in the figure, a female screw 251 c is drilledinto the top surface of the sideboard 251, which is covered with anapproximately U-shaped cap 260 that is tightened with a screw 261. Aflat plate 260 a, a downward vertical plate 260 b that hangs from bothends, and a drilled hole 260 c are located such that they match up withthe female screw 251 c of the aforementioned flat plate 260 a. Thisarrangement prevents the supportive part 254 from rising in the slit 251b and dropping from the slit 251 b.

The embodiment of FIGS. 15 (A) and 15 (B) shows only the sideboard 251.However, as described previously, as spacer 255 and guiding part 256 areused together with the sideboard 251, a slit can be cut at the samepitch and depth into spacer 255 and guiding part 256 as in sideboard251, so that the supporting part 254 can be inserted into the slit. Ifrequired, sideboard 251, spacer 255 and guiding part 256 are coveredwith the similar cap 260 and then tightened with the screw.

In the above embodiment, it was described that the sideboard 251 is cutto form a deep slit 251 b, and the supporting part 254 is supported at alower position than the top of the sideboard 251. The sideboard 251 canbe cut to form a shallow slit and the upper part of the supporting part254 is supported at the same height as the top of sideboard 251. In thiscase, the cap 260 can be a flat plate.

In the above embodiment, it was described that the supporting part 254is placed horizontally in a plane, similar to those in FIG. 4 and FIG.6. However, similar to the case in FIG. 8, the cut of each slit can bein a crescent form so that the supporting part 254 can be inserted in acrescent form.

In the above embodiment, a temperature of the air stream flowing intothe airflow carding unit 25 through the wind tunnel is not specificallydescribed. However, depending on the kind of adhesive (sizing agent)sticking to each reinforcement filament in the airflow carding machinehaving a single or multistage airflow carding unit as shown in FIG. 16(A), a hot air suction wind tunnel can be created in the airflow cardingunit where hot air 270 can weaken the adhesion force of the adhesive(sizing agent) and promote the carding action.

In the above embodiment, it has been described that the guiding part andsupportive part are solid. However, as shown in FIG. 16(B), the guidingparts 252 and 253 and/or the supportive part 254 can be a pipe and thepipe-shaped guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or supportive part 254 can beequipped with a built-in cartridge heater 272 in a hollow pipe 271 toheat the guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or the supportive part 254. Inthis setup, the bundled fibers and/or carded sheet is properly heated bythe guiding parts 252 and 253 and supportive part 254 that is heated bythe cartridge heater 272 to heat and soften the sizing agent in thebundled fibers, reducing the bonding force to generate a smoothercarding action.

As shown in FIG. 16C, the guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or thesupportive part 254 is pipe-shaped and has a hollow interior 271 can berun with heated fluid 273, such as hot air, steam or hot water can berun. In this setup, the guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or the supportivepart 254 is heated by the heated fluid 273 that flows in the pipe andproperly heats the bundled fibers and/or carded sheet to heat and softenthe sizing agent in the bundled fibers and weaken the bonding force togenerate a smoother carding action.

In the carding machine for the multiple spindle bundled fibers, as shownin FIG. 16(D), the guiding parts 252 and 253 and/or supportive part 254in the final stage of the airflow carding unit have a pipe shape and aslit 274 is defined in the part of the pipe-shaped guiding parts 252 and253 and/or the supportive part 254 where the slit 274 crosses in themoving direction of the carded sheet. Then, the heated air 275 is runinside of the hollow pipe 271 of the guiding parts 252 and 253 and/orthe supportive part 254, ejecting the hot air through slit 274 towardsthe carded sheet 12 a. Due to a cooling sizing agent, this leads to thecarding of the reinforced filament forming the carded sheet 12 a in auniform interval.

More than one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention aredescribed above, but the present invention is not limited by theseexamples. The present invention is intended to include the embodimentcomprising the description within the spirit and appended claims of thepresent invention. For example, while it is described in each embodimentthat thickness t, in spacer 255 and guiding part 256 a can be variedstepwise, it can also be continuously varied along the moving directionof the bundled fibers 12 or carded sheet 12 a to continuously increasethe width w, of the traveling path for the bundled fibers 12 or cardedsheet 12 a in a downstream direction.

Or depending on the kind of bundled fibers 12, the distance between thesideboards 251 and 251′ of the frames 250 and 250′ can continuously fanout towards the moving direction of the bundled fibers 12 or cardedsheet 12 a to continuously increase the width of the traveling path w,for the bundled fibers 12 or carded sheet 12 a.

Furthermore, it is described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 that morethan one supporting part 254 is placed horizontally in a plane in eachairflow carding units 25 a, 25 b, and 25 c. It is also described in theembodiment of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 that more than one supportive part 254 aand 254′ is placed horizontally in a plane in the multistage sequentialairflow carding units 25′ and 25′a. However, the supporting parts can beplaced in a plane and either tilted upwards or downwards along themoving direction of the bundled fibers 12 in a single or multistageairflow carding unit.

In the above embodiment, an airflow wind tunnel using suction airflowwas described, but airflow that is blown can also be used.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment it is described that the guidingparts 252, 253, 252′, and 253′, the space filling common guiding parts259 a and 259 b, and the supporting parts 254, 254 a, and 254′, are allcylindrical, namely having a constant diameter regardless of the lengthof the direction. However, the parts can have a large diameter at bothends in the length direction and a smaller diameter that graduallydecreases towards the middle, creating a hand drum shape of the guidingand supporting parts. Use of these guiding and supportive parts canreduce the difference in the distance between the center axis line ofthe single fiber of the bundled fibers 12 and the reinforced filament atboth ends of the carded sheet 12 a to apply a large tension force to thereinforced filament at both ends in the carded sheet 12 a, as comparedto using the cylindrical guiding and supportive parts.

In the above embodiment, it was described that multiple supportive partsare used in all cases. However, at least one or more supportive partsare acceptable and a single supportive part can be used. In this case,the carding effect in the bundled fibers 12 and carded sheet 12 a islowered and stabilization of its configuration tends to be moredifficult, as compared to the case when more than one supporting part isused. However, as compared to the case in the airflow carding unitwithout a single supportive part, the carding action occurs before andafter the supporting part to lead not only to substantially smoothercarding action, but also to stabilize the configuration of the bundledfibers and/or carded sheet because the bundled fibers and/or cardedsheet is supported by the supporting part. Both the tension applyingmeans and the tension applied by the rewind roll to bundled fibers 12and carded sheet 12 a can further stabilize the bundled fibers 12 andthe carded sheet 12 a even if the support is performed by a singlesupporting part.

Furthermore, it was described in the above embodiment that the tensionapplying means 16 is placed on each feed roll 13. However, each feedroll 13 can rotate in reverse and instantly apply tension to the bundledfibers 12. For example, it is possible that a pulley be installed on theshaft of each feed roll 13 and placed with a belt working as a drivingforce that delivers means for a single driver motor to revolve the rollunder low tension in the opposite direction of the bundled fibers 12,resulting in application of an overall constant desired tension tomultiple bundled fibers 12. A fact that tension is always applied to thebundled fibers 12 prevents the bundled fibers 12 from loosening andkeeps them stretched, when the carding process is temporarily stopped.When the carding process is restarted, the initial setup for the bundledfibers can almost be omitted. Application of a required tension to manybundled fibers 12, on the whole, can possibly keep costs down.

The airflow carding machine for the bundled fibers in the presentinvention is comprised of a feed roll wound with the bundled fibers; theairflow carding unit to card the bundled fibers drawn out from this feedroll with the airflow orthogonal relative to the moving direction of thebundled fibers; and the rewind roll to rewind the carded sheet that iscarded in the airflow carding unit. Since the said airflow carding unitis characterized by having more than one supportive part that is placedat a certain interval along the moving direction of a single or multiplebundled fibers, the carding action of the bundled fibers and cardedsheet that travels over a single supportive part or multiple supportiveparts in a short distance is applied. This is either applied, at aminimum, twice before and after the supporting part as the cardingaction of the conventional wind tunnel tube, or stepwise andcontinuously to make the carding reliable and of better quality.

Furthermore, since the configuration of the bundled fibers or cardedsheet is always kept constant along the supporting part of the airflowcarding unit, it becomes unnecessary to have a front feeder upstream ofthe airflow carding unit, or a fiber height detection unit in theairflow carding unit to feedback the fiber height detected to the drivermotor for the drive roll of the front feeder to adjust for the overfedcondition. Therefore, not only are the number of various componentparts, such as the fiber height detection unit, the front feeder, andits driver motor reduced to save parts cost, but also the installationspace for these components becomes unnecessary, simplifying thecomposition to achieve miniaturization, weight reduction and lower cost.

The above effect becomes more pronounced with the increase in the numberof stages, as multiple airflow carding units are placed in multistagealong the moving direction of the bundled fibers. Furthermore, when thewidth of the traveling path of the carded sheet in more than one airflowcarding unit is increased stepwise or continuously downstream in themoving direction of the carded sheet, an orderly response to theincrease in width of the bundled fibers and carded sheet, along withcarding of the bundled fibers and carded sheet in the airflow cardingunit, achieves smooth continuous carding.

In the present invention, as the shaft of the feed roll of the bundledfibers is placed in the vertical direction, even if the feeding positionof the bundled fibers that are drawn out from the feed roll is alteredvertically, there is little variation in the supply position in relationto the airflow carding action unit so that the feed roll is not requiredto traverse towards its shaft direction as in a conventional airflowcarding machine where the shaft of the feed roll is placed in ahorizontal direction. This can reduce the required installation spacefor the feed roll and achieve feeding of more than one bundled fibers inthe airflow carding machine for the multiple bundled fibers, which waspreviously difficult to achieve.

In the above embodiment, a simple airflow carding machine was describedin all cases. However, the carding machine in the present invention canbe used when the carding machine is based on fluids, such as water oroil.

The carding machine for the bundled fibers in the present invention caneasily and reliably card the bundled fibers collected from manyreinforcing filaments to manufacture a carded sheet.

1. A carding machine for bundled fibers comprises: a feed roll woundwith the bundled fibers; a carding unit to card the bundled fibers drawnout from the feed roll with a fluid that flows in a direction that isorthogonal relative to a moving direction of the bundled fibers; and arewind roll that rewinds a carded sheet formed by the bundled fibersthat are carded in the carding unit, wherein the carding unit includes:an internal frame that forms a fluid flow path and a plurality ofsupporting parts placed along the moving direction of the bundled fibersbetween a front end and a back end in the moving direction of thebundled fibers within the frame.
 2. The carding machine according toclaim 1, wherein the carding unit further comprises: an internal framethat forms a fluid flow path, large diameter guiding parts placed at thefront and back ends of the bundled fibers in the moving direction withinthe frame, and more than one small diameter supporting parts placedbetween the large diameter guiding parts.
 3. The carding machineaccording to claim 2, wherein a guiding part and/or the at least onesupporting part in the carding unit is substantially cylindrical inshaped and is either fixed or is rotatable around a shaft.
 4. Thecarding machine according to claim 3, wherein more than one of thesupporting parts are placed in a plane or an approximately crescent formrelative to the fluid flow path.
 5. The carding machine according toclaim 3, wherein a plurality of carding units are placed in a serialarrangement to form multiple stages along the moving direction of thebundled fibers.
 6. The carding machine according to claim 4, wherein thecarding unit is placed in multiple stages along the moving direction ofthe bundled fibers within the frame.
 7. The carding machine according toclaim 5, wherein a width of a traveling path of the bundled fibers inthe moving direction increases from an upstream end to a downstream end.8. The carding machine according to claim 6, wherein a width of atraveling path of the bundled fibers in the moving direction increasesfrom an upstream end to a downstream end.
 9. The carding machineaccording to claim 1, wherein a shaft of the feed roll is arrangedvertically relative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers. 10.The carding machine according to claim 2, wherein a shaft of the feedroll is arranged vertically relative to the moving direction of thebundled fibers.
 11. The carding machine according to claim 3, wherein ashaft of the feed roll is arranged vertically relative to the movingdirection of the bundled fibers.
 12. The carding machine according toclaim 4, wherein a shaft of the feed roll is arranged verticallyrelative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers.
 13. The cardingmachine according to claim 5, wherein a shaft of the feed roll isarranged vertically relative to the moving direction of the bundledfibers.
 14. The carding machine according to claim 6, wherein a shaft ofthe feed roll is arranged vertically relative to the moving direction ofthe bundled fibers.
 15. The carding machine according to claim 9,comprising a plurality of feed rolls.
 16. The carding machine accordingto claim 10, comprising a plurality of feed rolls.
 17. The cardingmachine according to claim 11, comprising a plurality of feed rolls. 18.The carding machine according to claim 12, comprising a plurality offeed rolls.
 19. The carding machine according to claim 13, comprising aplurality of feed rolls.
 20. The carding machine according to claim 14,comprising a plurality of feed rolls.
 21. The carding machine accordingto claim 5, comprising a plurality of carding units arranged in parallelin the direction that is orthogonal relative to the moving direction ofthe bundled fibers.
 22. The carding machine according to claim 6,comprising a plurality of carding units arranged in parallel in thedirection that is orthogonal relative to the moving direction of thebundled fibers.
 23. The carding machine according to claim 5, whereinthe carding unit is placed in more than one stage along the movingdirection of the bundled fibers, and/or more than one carding unit isplaced in parallel and orthogonal relative to the moving direction ofthe bundled fibers to form a sequentially integrated form.
 24. Thecarding machine according to claim 6, wherein the carding unit is placedin more than one stage along the moving direction of the bundled fibers,and/or more than one carding unit is placed in parallel and orthogonalrelative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers to form asequentially integrated form.
 25. The carding machine according to claim7, wherein the carding unit is placed in more than one stage along themoving direction of the bundled fibers, and/or more than one cardingunit is placed in parallel and orthogonal relative to the movingdirection of the bundled fibers to form a sequentially integrated form.26. The carding machine according to claim 8, wherein the carding unitis placed in more than one stage along the moving direction of thebundled fibers, and/or more than one carding unit is placed in paralleland orthogonal relative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers toform a sequentially integrated form.
 27. The carding machine accordingto claim 21, wherein the carding unit is placed in more than one stagealong the moving direction of the bundled fibers, and/or more than onecarding unit is placed in parallel and orthogonal relative to the movingdirection of the bundled fibers to form a sequentially integrated form.28. The carding machine according to claim 22, wherein the carding unitis placed in more than one stage along the moving direction of thebundled fibers, and/or more than one carding unit is placed in paralleland orthogonal relative to the moving direction of the bundled fibers toform a sequentially integrated form.
 29. The carding machine accordingto claim 1, wherein the fluid flowing in the carding unit is a heatedfluid.
 30. The carding machine according to claim 2, wherein the guidingparts and/or supportive part in the carding unit is heated.
 31. Thecarding machine according to claim 30, wherein the guiding parts and/orsupportive part is equipped with a built-in heater.
 32. The cardingmachine according to claim 30, wherein the guiding parts and/orsupportive part has a cylindrical shape through which heated fluid isflown.
 33. The carding machine according to claim 32, wherein theguiding parts and/or supportive part further comprises a slit definedtherein, the slit extending in a direction that intersects with themoving direction of the bundled fibers wherein a heated fluid is ejectedfrom the slit.